Sato Ken's expression grew even more astonished, but he quickly covered it up.
"What's wrong with Class D?"
Shuichi Kanda, who had noticed Sato's brief look of surprise, immediately pressed him for an answer.
"Nothing. Where were we? Oh, right, the temporary manager for the shop..."
Clearly, Sato Ken didn't want to spend any more time talking about the classes, so he turned to explaining the various pieces of equipment in the store to Miyake.
As for Shuichi Kanda, it was obvious at a glance that he wasn't a Kyudo practitioner. At the very least, he didn't have the calluses on his fingers that someone who had practiced Kyudo for a long time should have.
Miyake, meanwhile, clearly wasn't very alert to the unfamiliar. It was easy for Sato Ken to lead him away from the subject.
Afterward, using the excuse of testing whether the bow felt right, Sato took him to a temporary practice area behind the shop.
As for Shuichi Kanda, under Akito Miyake's apologetic gaze, he sat down on a nearby bench, then casually took down a large bow hanging beside him.
He ran his fingers over the finely crafted bow as he thought about what had just happened.
First, when Sato Ken introduced himself, he seemed to have deliberately emphasized that he was a Class A student. Although it might have been subconscious, he should have been proud—or perhaps smug—about being in Class A.
Also, when asked why there were fewer than three hundred second- and third-year students, he had forcefully changed the subject. After that, he had deftly avoided spending too long talking about the classes.
He had even figured out after only a brief look that Miyake was the real customer at the shop—or perhaps a future member of the Archery Club—and that Kanda was just tagging along.
So what could he conclude from that?
For instance, perhaps the class labels represented different things? That would explain why Sato was proud to be in Class A, and why he had been surprised that the two of them were in Class D.
There was too little information to see the whole picture.
Shuichi Kanda rubbed his temples and decided to give his brain a break.
About twenty minutes later, Miyake finally came out from the back and spotted Kanda holding the bow.
"Hm? Kanda, are you interested in Kyudo too?"
"I wouldn't say I'm not interested at all, but I'm more curious about how this bow was made. I'm not as interested in Kyudo itself."
That was true. In his previous life, Shuichi Kanda had been a crafts enthusiast, so he was naturally interested in things like this.
"Don't say that. Making and maintaining bows and arrows are part of Kyudo too. If you don't pay attention to the condition of your bow and arrows, you can't call yourself a proper archer."
Sato Ken came out from the back, holding a form.
"Miyake, here's your order information. Take a look and make sure it's right."
"All right, Sato-senpai."
After handing the form to Miyake, Sato turned to Kanda. "What do you think? Interested in joining the Archery Club too? We have members who are good at making and maintaining bows and arrows."
So Miyake had already decided to join the Archery Club?
Sato Ken's invitation tempted Kanda. That way, he could join the same club as his new friend and continue making things by hand.
Looking at Sato Ken's hopeful expression, Shuichi Kanda decided...
"Mm, I'll think about it. If I decide to join, I'll get in touch with you through Miyake, Senpai."
When Shuichi Kanda spoke, Sato Ken thought he'd convinced him. He hadn't expected to get his hopes up for nothing, but today had still been a good haul.
Akito Miyake was really skilled. Maybe he could bring him along to the National Tournament this summer and let him see what it was like.
"Senpai, I've checked it."
"Mm, let me see." Sato Ken took the order form from Akito Miyake and nodded. "It's all good. It'll be delivered to the club by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. Just come by then."
"Mm, sorry for the trouble, Senpai."
"I'd be happy to have an excellent junior like you join the Archery Club." Sato Ken smiled cheerfully again.
"Here's one last piece of advice: you shouldn't spend your Private Points carelessly."
Seeing him raise his eyebrows and make faces without being willing to say more, Shuichi Kanda didn't press him. Sato had given them a piece of information for free, after all.
After leaving the shop, the two headed for the store that sold daily necessities.
"Hey, Kanda. What did Sato-senpai mean by that? He told us not to waste our points. And when I was picking out a bow earlier, he kept recommending cheap, durable ones."
"Oh? Is that what he recommended?" Shuichi Kanda turned to look at him.
"Yeah. He said I didn't have many points right now, so I could wait until I had more before replacing my equipment."
Miyake answered honestly.
"I see. Looks like Sato Ken, the club captain, thinks highly of you, Miyake."
"Is that so?" Miyake didn't seem particularly flattered.
"Let's go shopping first. We'll talk about it properly once we're back in the dorm."
A large shopping mall called Keyaki Mall occupied the central area of Shopping Street. It had all kinds of shops, as well as places where students could eat, drink, and have fun.
It was easy to tell how popular the place was from the students coming and going.
However, Shuichi Kanda and Akito Miyake had no plans to join the crowds. For one thing, neither of them liked crowds much. For another, all Kanda wanted right now was to buy some essentials and return to the dorm to rest.
Chapter Eleven: Awe of Unknown Technology
They found a convenience store at random and went in to pick up the daily necessities they needed.
Shuichi Kanda didn't need much: mainly shampoo, face wash, soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and the like.
As soon as they entered the convenience store, the two of them spotted a sign that read "Free Items."
"They have free stuff—not just food, but daily necessities too? Isn't this a little too generous?"
Muttering to himself, Miyake headed over to the free section, with Shuichi Kanda following close behind.
The free section was well stocked. At least, it had all the toiletries Shuichi Kanda needed.
"Ah, they have the shampoo I usually use here, and it's free?"
Well, it seemed the quality wouldn't be bad either.
Without another word, he happily put the free items into the shopping basket he'd picked up earlier.
Who didn't understand the joy of getting something for free?
Aside from those items, Shuichi Kanda had no other purchases in mind. So although they had gone out to shop, after looking around, he'd spent 0 Private Points and still had 100,000 left.
First-Year Dormitory Building, fourth floor.
"I'll head back to my room first. Once Hirata gets here, I'll come over to yours."
On the way back, Kanda had asked Hirata to meet up in Miyake's room, saying there was something they needed to discuss. Hirata had said he'd need twenty minutes, and they'd settled on that.
"I understand the reasoning, but why do we have to meet in my room?"
"Then should we go to Hirata's room?"
"Never mind. Let's wait until Hirata gets here."
Miyake opened the door to Room 408 and went inside.
Shuichi Kanda continued down the hall, stopping in front of Room 404. He took out his key card and opened the door.
After closing it behind him, Shuichi Kanda arranged the toiletries he'd just bought on the sink, as he usually did, so they'd be easy to use later.
Then he took off his shoes in the entryway and walked farther into the room.
He hadn't had a proper look before, but now he saw that although there were several cameras in the hallway, there really weren't any in the dorm rooms.
How much of a pervert would you have to be to install cameras in the dorm rooms?
Sitting on the edge of the bed again, Shuichi Kanda closed his eyes and tried to connect with his system. When it had appeared, it had made no sound or fuss, and it was just as capricious when handing out items. Aside from the items and instruction manuals in System Space, it had done nothing else.
If he could still speak all those different languages with ease, he might have thought the system was just his imagination.
Value-Added Bank: One Day, claim!
Poof!
After a cloud of smoke, a small machine appeared on the tatami mat in the room. The noise startled Shuichi Kanda, and he quickly opened his eyes. The strange machine had appeared on the tatami in front of him.
The machine had two slots. One was for depositing money, while the other was for loans. The loan slot was sealed shut, which probably meant the lending function couldn't be used.
Shuichi Kanda reached out to pick it up and take a closer look at how it was built.
The instant he touched the Value-Added Bank, it changed. Its original irregular shape began to shift, and in a moment it had become a device about twenty centimeters long and wide, but less than two centimeters tall. It looked like a small tablet.
The instruction manual had changed too, and the directions were much simpler. All he had to do was select "Deposit" on the front screen, enter an amount, and bring his student card near the reader to deposit the points.
To withdraw them, he only needed to select "Withdraw" and hold his student card near the reader again. It was practically foolproof.
One thing to note, though: once an amount was deposited, the item's duration would be activated. It would disappear after twenty-four hours.
Before it disappeared, it would automatically return the accumulated points to the depositor's student card. Any period shorter than an hour wouldn't count toward the interest calculation.
For example, if there was one hour and thirty minutes left when Shuichi Kanda deposited 10,000 personal points, then after one hour and thirty minutes, he would only get 11,000 personal points back, not 12,100.
Looking at the Value-Added Bank, Shuichi Kanda smiled. This was a really useful item, and it was much easier to put away after its shape changed.
After putting Value-Added Bank: One Day in the cabinet of his computer desk, Shuichi Kanda lay down on the bed, relaxed, and tried to call the system.
System!
System!
Black Technology System!
But no matter how many times he called, there was no response. At last, perhaps annoyed by Shuichi Kanda's shouting, a sheet of paper fell from the air.
This system provides one piece of black technology each month. The host must use it with caution. Improper use may cause serious consequences, including the destruction of the world.
The destruction of the world? Did it think I was easily scared? This was ridiculous.
It was just a Translation Konjac and a Value-Added Bank. How could the world be destroyed by those?
What Shuichi Kanda hadn't considered was that world wars seemed to be caused by economic collapse. If the Value-Added Bank weren't limited to a single day of use, it could absolutely cause an economic collapse.
And then, the world might really be destroyed because of it. Maybe.
Perhaps sensing Shuichi Kanda's dismissive attitude, a book suddenly fell from the air and hit him on the head.
Thump!
Damn it!
What the hell?
Startled by the ambush, Shuichi Kanda reflexively looked up at the ceiling, but there was nothing there. He turned back around. A thin book had appeared in front of him, and the large characters on the cover made him sit up straight.
World Destruction Case Studies
Was that really necessary!?
The system was so petty!
Even so, Shuichi Kanda picked up the thin book, opened it, and began to read.
Case One: In the year 2593, the Value-Added Bank was used indiscriminately, causing currency depreciation and concentrating wealth in the hands of a few. Large numbers of people could no longer afford food or medical care...
Social tensions then erupted, leading to a world war and the destruction of Earth.
There weren't many entries in the book, only ten cases.
But as he read, the despair of those worlds seemed to rise before Shuichi Kanda's eyes. For the first time, he thought that the system's black technology shouldn't be used recklessly.
Chapter Twelve: Room 408 Meeting
With a new respect for black technology, Shuichi Kanda knocked on the door to Akito Miyake's room. A few minutes earlier, he had seen a message from him.
Hirata had just arrived.
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